this extreme weather we're seeing across the u.s. with some of it headed our way. remember last week's heat? it could be returning but that is really just part of the story. jamie costello joins us now with more on the wild weather. >> we've seen it all. as the saying goes, pick your poison. fire, floods, recordsetting heat. depends on where you live. this weather has been particularly punishing for much of the country. and doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. mountain communities in eastern arizona are on high alert as the wallow fire continues to chew through tinder dry terrain. jesse and holly walker packed everything they could into a trailer before leaving their house. >> this is our home. we live for our home. me and my wife and family built that house. with our hands. it's hard to leave it.

>> reporter: as smoke spreads across the west more than 2,500 firefighters are desperately trying to get a handle on the blaze which exploded across 200,000 acres. and from the wildfires out west to flooding in missouri and iowa where crews and residents worked to repair levees breached by the rising missouri river. >> we had a goal of 100,000 bags over two days. we're going to get close to 200,000 bags today. >> reporter: in the southeast it's the temperatures that are rising, 90s across most of the region today. up to 100 degrees in the southern plains. fires, floods and heat all part of mother nature's weather triple punch. now the bad news for us? remember last week's heat? the heat in the south now is moving our way. so let's turn to meteorologist wyett eberhart for when things are going to get heated up. >> that big hot ridge of air headed toward maryland doesn't get here tonight or really even tomorrow but by wednesday you will definitely be feeling it. highs today generally mid-80s

though we got a report of 92 out of bel air. most spots not too bad and at this hour down in the low 80s. skies are clear above. that is good. had one stray shower down south of salisbury earlier but for the most part maryland staying dry. this evening 70s, generally clear, mild and pleasant but major heat on the way later this week. we profile that straight ahead. let's check out tonight's top stories. police investigating after a man shot and killed a pit bull in the middle of an anne arundel county neighborhood. it happened in the 1,800 block of royal court in severn sunday morning. according to the police report, one was walking with an unleashed pit bull, charged and attacked a leashed one. the children ran to get their parents and detectives say their father came up and shot and killed the leashed dog. the position for baltimore city mayor will be up for grabs this year. and state senator katherine pew

says she wants the job. she says high taxes, violence and crime are driving people out of the city and she wants to turn that around. she joins several others in the field. incumbent mayor stephanie rawlings-blake hasn't frmly announced her candidacy yet. plenty of excitement on i-95 in cecil county today. the famed miracle on the hudson plane is making its way to north carolina. people lined the interstate to see it drive past. it's now parked near perryville for the night. tomorrow it heads down the baltimore beltway to i-70 and then i-68 through west virginia. news from the nation tonight. we start in florida with a judge in the casey anthony murder trial. may have to decide whether to let jurors smell air samples from a car trunk. the air samples will be a groundbreaking move and might make or break the prosecution's case. witnesses came the car smelled

of a decomposed human. the prosecution hasn't yet asked to open the canisters. the former head of the international monetary fund back in the new york city courtroom today. >> a group of hotel workers outside the courthouse chanted "sthaim on you" when dominique strauss-kahn arrived in court. he pleaded not guilty to the seven charges attached to the alleged sexual assault case. his lawyers say they believe forensic evidence won't support the prosecution's case and they have information that will gravely undermine the housekeeper's credibility. now to a developing story out of europe tonight where officials are still trying to determine where one of the biggest outbreaks of oh coali orangeinated. it was thought an organic german sprout farm may have been the source but tests have come back negative. at least 22 people in germany have died. at least 2,300 people across europe have gotten sick after

eating lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. this strain of e. coli appears to be a new mutant strain. >> this strain of e. coli is similar to the one that caused so many outbreaks here from ground beef, from spinach. >> at least four americans have gotten sick from this e. coli outbreak but are expected to recover. experts warn the virus could spread to the u.s. since it can spread from person to person with close contact. if you don't want to see tolerates rise now's your -- toll rates rise now is your chance to speak up. baltimoreans in support of the measure can put the two cents in next week. you can come out to a public hearing at digital harbor high school on june 13th. it's located at 1,100 covington street in federal hill. the second of nine hearings where people can speak out against the hikes. the first will be held on thursday in gaithersburg.

the state transportation authority wants to raise the tolls at the bay bridge, i-95 in perryville and harbor and fort mchenry tunnels. the tolls would jump from $2 possibility 50 to $ -- $2.50 to $5 this october and $8 by 2013. the drive through baltimore got a bit more challenging today thanks to the upcoming grand prix. starting today congress street has been closed in both directions between light and charles streets. this will allow work crews to repave the entire section ahead of labor day's weekend's race. but it could also create plenty of delays and frustrations for the unprepared commuter. we can get you around that mess in the congress street area. just click on abc2news.com and there you'll find a story on the grand prix construction. and find a list of alternative routes, whether you're trying toet go into the city or trying to leave.

parents, when it comes to your teenaged drivers, what are you doing to keep them safe? coming up, did you know that the summer months are sometimes the most dangerous times for teens to be behind the wheel? what parents can do to make sure their teens are safe. and for one baseball team they needed something to turn their luck around.

now to pump. gas prices continue to head downward. according to aaa the average price for regular in the baltimore area now $3.75 a gallon. down five cents from last week and 22 cents in a month. despite the drop in gas prices in the last month we're still trying to help you to find the lower gas prices. we're helping you to find the cheapest prices. come to abc2news.com. if you click on "traffic," then go to "gas prices" you'll see we have all the area gas

prices. you can go by zip code to find some of the cheapest prices for you. go to the web site, click under the traffic tab and again gas prices and you'll find the cheapest stations in the area. apple ceo came back from medical leave for the company's worldwide developers conference today. steve jobs received a standing ovation when he took the stage in san francisco. jobs has survived pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. today he unveiled the company's new computer operating system called mac osx lion. the system will operate by finger gestures made on a track pad. other software shown off included the much-anticipated data storage product called i-cloud. when it comes to helping kids recover from illness

sometimes it's the simplest of things that really help out. coming up, doctors at johns hopkins children's center are using more than drugs to help in recovery. why books are now being prescribed. and, when it comes to your teens behind that wheel, this time of year is real dangerous. what parents can do to keep their teen drivers safe. you're the best, mr. snuggles.

[ thinking ] another pet name? all right, i'm smart enough to notice that my favorite fresh-brewed mickey d's sweet tea is now on the dollar menu, so i'm smart enough for this. you're the best, too... sweet tea... pie? aww, chipmunk. [ male announcer ] sweet tea and the mcdonald's dollar menu. this past weekend marked the official start of the june bug season. traditionally high school graduates head to the ocean to celebrate the completion of high school. in ocean city, always ready. the program to help june bugs

make smart decision is already up and running. there's a wristband teens can wear that allows them to ride the bus for free all week. listen up, parents. memorial day and labor day, there are seven deadliest days of the year for teen drivers. keeping your teen safe behind the wheel sometimes means more than just sitting next to them. abc2 news talked to a few people who know how to keep your teens safe behind the wheel. >> reporter: as schools winds down and summer starts to sizzle teens find more time on their hands and teen drivers, a lot more time behind the wheel. >> unfortunately, it's also a very deadly time for young drivers. >> reporter: aaa reports that june through august are the deadliest months for teen drivers. in a recent look at numbers from 2005 to 2009, aaa found the average number of deaths among drivers and passengers increased by more than 15% in the summer months. >> you really want parents to remain calm and really stay

involved in their teen driving. >> we follow strict ground rules. she follows them. there are consequences otherwise. >> reporter: this parent from phoenix knows how serious learning to drive needed to be for her teen. we always reiterated. who she was with, where she was, what time she was coming home. >> reporter: sounds tough but daughter lindsay always understood. >> it was tough. always had to call my mom. >> i couldn't get my license until i was 18. >> and he realizes the risks of being a new driver. >> my friends have had moments where they put down their guard on their driving. >> reporter: aaa suggestions to parents are simple and straightforward. for the first year of having a license restrict driving to only essential trips. limit passengers. the risk of having a fatal crash increases five times when you have two or more teens in the car. chances of a deadly crash double when driving at night. veteran instructors like liz

square brother want to -- scarboro want to warn of other distractions like bicyclists and pedestrians. >> and texting and cell phone distraction is very large now. >> reporter: even though it's illegal. >> yes, but they still do it. >> reporter: aaa recommends parents of teen drivers continue to be effective driving coaches, reinforcing the rules of the road. in baltimore, bill fink, abc2 news. >> if you would like to know more about how you can keep your teens safe behind the wheel head to abc2news.com. there you have the story along with some links to aaa with ways to keep your teen drivers safe. also a parent/teen driving agreement that you can sign. find the story on our home page. you can print out. hot day, we went to the park. i hear it will be even hotter later in the week.

>> little did you know. wednesday and thursday, 10, 15 degrees, add that. we could hit 100 on thursday. another heat surge coming in. looks like it will break for the weekend. not prolonged yet -- it will be -- take a look outside. good day to be on the water taxis. kayaking. wherever your travels take you. anything you do on the water, good day to do it. 85 now, humidity only 36% believe it or not. dew point numbers up around 60. that is moderately high. humidity winds northeast around 8 now. we captured wild, really, just beautiful skies over annapolis today, all across the state. mostly clear to say the least. in anne arundel county. then we take you to howard county and laurel school annex, you see the clouds streaking across the sky here. some kids on the field there, why not? in washington today, look at

this, beautiful shot from reagan international over the nation's capital, good-looking weather for commuters headed back to baltimore later on this evening. maryland's most powerful doppler radar, crystal clear now. that should hold up. we have seen very little action, one stray shower earlier this afternoon. looks like south of salisbury toward the eastern shore of virginia. other than that, high and dry all day and humidity, really, again, not oppressive. not oppressive. i think tomorrow another day where humidity will be tolerable. temperatures will be a bit warmer but still acceptable for june. 90 in mount vernon. 88 fells point or so. then we take you further south and i think we'll be pushing close to 90 in parole. lake shore about 88 for you as well. across the entire mid-atlantic this evening it's quiet, setting up for a real nice night to grill out, maybe head out on the patio and a tall glass of lemonade. looking good. i don't think this disturbance

to our west toward the upper midwest and moving out of michigan and northern ohio, basically lost most of its punch. not generating rain now. watching that humidity level closely, it's really only oppressive down towards charleston, south carolina but this tropical ridge of hot humid air will move in. temperatures today down toward jackson and montgomery, nearly 100 degrees. that wave of heat that will move in for the latter part of the week. so overnight tonight. 64, maim clear, quiet and mild tomorrow. 89 with plenty of sunshine. getting warmer out there and then as we go into tomorrow night we're talking about 68 or so with a few clouds. it will be getting a bit more muggy by tomorrow night. again, the real heat will begin to build in as we push later in the week wednesday into thursday. let's show you that on the 7-day forecast. as we look ahead, there it is. close to 90 tomorrow but 96 wednesday. pushing 100 on thursday. and friday looks mighty hot too though looks like some storms may break things up friday. don't forget to check us out on

twitter, abc 2 weather. as the school season draws to a close making sure our kids succeed next year really on the mind of many parents. doctors at johns hopkins children's center are joining in on the process, prescribing books and encouraging families to read together. sherrie johnson tells us it's all part of the reach out and read program. >> reporter: 2-year-old ryan and 1-year-old cameron are at the harriett lane clinic at the johns hopkins children's center for a checkup. but they are not only here receiving medical services, it's also a chance for these little ones to receive a new book. it's part of the reach out and read program. >> we actually intentionally start this very early. we don't want kids not to be introduced to a book until they are old enough to read. the idea, with starting so early is, that it's an opportunity to share an experience with the parents. >> reporter: the program is offered at 65 sites in maryland. children come in for a medical

visit and doctors offer age-appropriate books for kids 6 months to 5 years old. each year more than 84,000 books are passed out to children in maryland. rachel jones is grateful for the educational help for her kids. >> it benefits the kids. it's a wonderful program. every time they come they get a nice book. they go with one of their age and usually have a good selection to choose from. and always encourage us to give them 15 minutes to half-hour reading time with mommy. >> reporter: studies show that children who receive books during visits were more likely to succeed in school. the reach out and read program wants to give low income families a chance academically. >> children who receive books and learn about reading and get to 11 books before reaching kindergarten gives them an edge above their peers when they begin kindergarten. it really gets children loving books and helps with their vocabulary and gets them ready for school.

>> reporter: thanks to a little help little ryan and cameron are off to a great start. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >> the reach out and read program is always in need of volunteers and donations. to provide more books and keep the program alive. abc2 news is proud to give $8,000 as a donation to the program. we still need your help. to donate or volunteer write this information, you can mail a donation to the office of development at 100 north charles street, suite 200, baltimore, 21201. i'm sure that is on our web site. you can also call 410-516-4545. make a $10 donation by texting who who have -- hopkins to 50555 or go on-line to www.hopkinschildren's.org. coming up at 6:00, from the river to the road we are following the plane that made the historic landing in the hudson. as it moves through our area.

don't book on looks when it comes to summer vacation. why the beautiful hotel pictures may not be all they seem. in our "scam alert." that and more coming up.

remember that breathtaking dress? now it will be on display soon for everybody to see. the dress will be shown at buckingham palace starting next month. toursists can see the dress along with a look at the real wedding cake and many other items. all the items will be on display until october 3rd. a tiny players at navarro

-- players at navarro college found rally the turtle, down and out after losing two games in a row. they discovered the turtle behind second base and then their luck started to turn around. >> we ended up winning regionals and we went up pretty hot streaks since then. >> i like him. it's different. i never saw anything like that. i've never been superstitious. >> the animal now part of their team. they set him up with a cushy comfortable tank filled with rocks paint the in their school colors. the fame is growing fast. he now has his own baseball card and his own facebook page. next he'll have his own twitter account. forget about the walmart superstore. the discount chain is downsizing to take on dollar stores. that story and